Water World

© Maggie Brown-Bury / RumBum.com

Late spring and early summer, Newfoundland (otherwise known as The Rock) comes to life again after a long winter laden with snowstorms and chilly gales. Icebergs begin their journey from the Arctic, bobbing their way around the northern and eastern coasts of the island. The whales start their summer migration to the north, where they frolic in the Atlantic Ocean and feed off the rolling masses of capelin near the shore. The puffins return to their breeding grounds after spending a winter at sea. And all summer long, kayakers take to the water to see this water world unfold around them.

All you need to join the party is a good sea kayak and a guide.

Things to See at Sea

Arguably, the best sea kayaking is in Bay Bulls, which is about a 30 minute drive from St. John’s. The drive is a hassle, but it’s an opportunity to escape the city and see some “real” Newfoundland: sharp cliffs, wide open spaces, and massive hills harbouring sheltered bays, fjords and small communities.

© Maggie Brown-Bury / RumBum.comKayakers can paddle along the coastline, where the roots of trees hang down in gnarled masses and water drips endlessly from the rocks. Even just a few hundred metres offshore, civilization disappears, and all is quiet except for the crashing of waves and the sound of paddles dipping in and out of the water. The salt starts collecting on skin in layers. There are even caves to explore, wide enough to angle a kayak into slowly and carefully – just be sure not to disappear too far, who knows what lurks in the furthermost corners.

Further out to sea, where paddling becomes more of a challenge, whales of all sorts sometimes dance and jump: minkes, orcas, pilots, fins, sperms and even magnificent blues. But the most common, the humpback, are notorious for putting on a good show. In a kayak, you may get the opportunity to experience a breaching and spouting humpback just three feet away, close enough that you could almost reach out and touch the friendly giant as he rolls over and glares wide-eyed and amused at its visitors.

Not far off is the Witless Bay Ecological Bird Reserve, consisting of 4 islands: Gull, Green, Great, and Pee-Pee. Here, thousands of seabirds nest, including over 260,000 pairs of puffins – the province’s official bird. About 95% of North America’s puffins breed around the province’s coasts. They’re gawky, goofy, and downright comical to watch as they skim across the water surface as if they’re too rotund to fly higher. Plus there are Leach’s Storm-petrels, Black-Legged Kittiwakes, and Common Murres, providing enough clamour to create a sort of screeching, cawing, squawking symphony. Nearing the islands, the sky darkens with birds in flight. Just don’t gaze upwards with mouth open.

If you’re lucky, you might even see icebergs, massive chunks of ice having broken off from glaciers 10,000 years old, chugging down through Iceberg Alley and now hanging out in plain sight.

Tour with The Outfitters

One of the best tour companies for organizing customizable trips around Bay Bulls is The Outfitters.  They’re flexible and offer shuttle services from St. John’s.

Taking a day tour with a group like The Outfitters allows kayakers to experience the unique landscape of the whole area, but it’s not an excursion for the athletically-impaired. Even the 2-3 hour tour is challenging for people who are not used to paddling, but such journeys will rarely catch sightings of whales or icebergs, nor is a delicious lunch offered. Of course, there’s the option of taking a boat tour, but it’s not nearly as fun.

For a handful of spare cash, the company’s customizable, multi-day tours include kayaking, hiking, fishing, camping, boil-ups on the beach, adventure races, and others. There’s little that can top a full day of kayaking, followed by watching the sunset on a beach while cooking the day’s catch, then crashing in a tent from exhaustion and well-worked muscles.

© Maggie Brown-Bury / RumBum.comNo need to worry about safety –The Outfitters’ tour guides know their territory. They won’t send anyone out in temperamental, rocky vessels unless they know weather conditions are just right and nobody will get lost at sea. They live for the water; they’ve been doing it for years.

The guides keep their followers in line with lots of shouting and general friendly belligerence to prevent people from going astray. They’re passionate about their work. Take John, for example, a guide who has traveled all over Canada, and has lived in each province. When someone asked why he returned to Newfoundland and Labrador, he replied, “This is my office. I love it.”

Tour with Stan Cook Sea Kayaking

Stan Cook Sea Kayaking offers much the same deal, but with a little more variety and the inclusion of hiking. Their GO & Tow tours include all the necessary whale and bird watching sights, but with views of waterfalls and more caves. Kayakers get brought back to land by motorboat, so greater distances and more sights are covered. For the more adventurous, there are   5 day tours including expeditions through Iceberg Alley.

These tours generally have an emphasis on cultural immersion, meaning more interaction with the locals and enjoying Newfoundland’s musical and historical background as one of the oldest settlements in North America.  

But whatever you choose, here’s a reminder to not forget the camera.